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The New England Patriots enter October riding high. Their offense is clearly establishing a rhythm, with last week\u2019s 40-burger against the Carolina Panthers the latest example.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s good timing, too, since Week 5 represents the first true litmus test of the Mike Vrabel era.<\/p>\n
The Patriots (2-2) are preparing to play their first prime-time game of the season. They\u2019ve had a soft opening, with three of their first four games at home against middling teams (and all four in the 1 p.m. EST kickoff window). This week, they get the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills (4-0) in Orchard Park on Sunday Night Football.<\/p>\n
New England has played the Bills tough in recent seasons, including in 2024 with Drake Maye under center. Maye passed for 261 yards and rushed for 30 more in the Patriots\u2019 24-21 loss at Buffalo in Week 16.<\/p>\n
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Maye have been cooking in the passing game over the Patriots\u2019 last three games, but the sledding figures to be a lot tougher this week. Sean McDermott\u2019s group has been elite against the pass to start 2025, ranking third in opponent yards per completion (7.9), eighth in opponent completion percentage (62.14%), and No. 1 in gross passing yards allowed per game (141.0), per Team Rankings<\/em>.<\/p>\n New England should still be able to scheme up its fair share of big plays, especially in what will be a Stefon Diggs revenge game. But there\u2019s a clear weak point in Buffalo\u2019s defense against the run \u2014 and the Patriots will need to get their act together in that department to take advantage and pull off a huge road upset.<\/p>\n There\u2019s obviously a lot more to worry about than Buffalo\u2019s prowess at defending the pass. On the other side of the football, the Bills have the reigning NFL MVP at quarterback in Josh Allen, whose offense is averaging over 400 yards per game to start the season.<\/p>\n That makes the Patriots\u2019 running game the most important piece of Sunday night\u2019s game plan. The Bills have been getting gashed against the run, surrendering 164.3 yards per game; that ranks 31st in the NFL. That stat is even more glaring when you consider Buffalo\u2019s September opponents included teams like the Jets, Dolphins, and Saints.<\/p>\n The big concern for New England entering this one is \u2014 can they even take advantage? In a perfect world, the Patriots can attack Buffalo\u2019s weak point on the ground, control the time of possession battle, and keep Allen and company off the field as much as possible. But their rushing attack has been far from perfect through four games.<\/p>\n Rhamondre Stevenson is still No. 1 on the depth chart, but after losing two fumbles in a brutal Week 3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at home, he saw his snap share significantly reduced in the Panthers game last week. Exciting rookie TreVeyon Henderson has seen added opportunity, but we\u2019ve yet to see the kind of impact expected from the explosive No. 38 overall pick out of Ohio State.<\/p>\n On 97 rush attempts, Henderson is averaging just 3.7 yards per carry, ranking him third on the team behind Stevenson and Antonio Gibson; he\u2019s also caught 13 passes, but his longest play from scrimmage thus far is 15 yards.<\/p>\n On the positive side, Henderson has been one of the best running backs in the NFL at avoiding negative plays, which could signal a Week 5 breakout is coming.<\/p>\n Running backs on hot streaks going into week 5<\/p>\n TreVeyon Henderson hasn't been stuffed at the LOS yet this season pic.twitter.com\/8FMFH1wcBh<\/a><\/p>\n — Ray Carpenter (@csv_enjoyer) October 1, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nThe New England Patriots must get their inconsistent run game figured out to beat the Buffalo Bills in Week 5<\/h2>\n
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